Michael T. Mondak speaks: 40 til 40 day 28

This is day number 28 in the 40 til 40 blog entry series leading to my 40th birthday on July 10.  Today I’m going to take you on a journey to the 40th state to ratify the United States constitution, South Dakota.

South Dakota is a part of the Great Plains and is named for the Dakota Sioux tribe, which comprises a majority of the state’s population.  Its capital is Pierre (pronounced peer), and Sioux Falls is its largest city.  Six states border South Dakota:  North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota.

On November 2, 1889, South Dakota was admitted as the 40th U.S. state during the presidency of Benjamin Harrison.  Legend has it that president Harrison shuffled the statehood papers before signing them so that nobody could tell whether North Dakota or South Dakota came first.

The area where South Dakota is now located was first settled around 5000 BC.  In 1803, president Thomas Jefferson signed off on the Louisiana Purchase, which included what is now South Dakota.  A gold rush in the Black Hills in 1874 leading to a major population growth.

In 1890, the Pine Ridge Reservation was the site of the infamous Wounded Knee Massacre.  It was the last major armed conflict between the U.S. and the Lakota Sioux Nation.  146 Sioux were killed, a majority of them women and children.  31 U.S. soldiers were also killed.

During the Great Depression, a lack of rainfall and inappropriate cultivation techniques led to the Dust Bowl, which, along with bank foreclosures, led to many South Dakotans leaving the state.  However, by the time the U.S. entered World War II, economic stability returned to South Dakota as demand for agricultural and industrial products grew as the nation mobilized for war.  The Flood Control Act of 1944 included the Pick-Sloan Plan, resulting in four large dams being built on the Missouri River in South Dakota.

Since the 1950s, the Black Hills have been one of the nation’s most important tourist destinations.  Mount Rushmore is another major destination.  In 1981, Citibank moved its credit card operations from New York City to South Dakota, which began a trend followed by several other financial companies.

The military also has a presence in South Dakota, as evidenced by Ellsworth Air Force Base outside of Rapid City.

On October 25, 1999, a Learjet plane crashed near Mina that killed all six of its occupants aboard, including then-reigning U.S. Open champion golfer Payne Stewart.  The flight originated in Orlando and was headed to Houston for the Tour Championship, with a planned stop in Dallas so that Stewart could visit his alma mater of Southern Methodist University to discuss a new golf facility for the university’s golf programs.  But the plane went way off course and crashed into a field.  The crash was caused by incapacitation of the flight crew members as a result of their failure to receive supplemental oxygen following a loss of cabin pressurization, for undetermined reasons.

Larry Rhoden is the current governor of South Dakota, a role he has held since January 2025 following the resignation of Kristi Noem following her confirmation as Secretary of Homeland Security under president Donald Trump.

South Dakota is known for having the lowest total per capita state tax rate in the United States, as it does not impose any taxes on income, inheritances or intangible personal property.  The state has a sales tax varying from 4.2 to 6 percent, which does not apply to sales on reservations, as many of them have a compact with the state.

Among the most notable people with ties to South Dakota include:

• Bob Barker (game show host who spent part of childhood in Mission)

• Tom Brokaw (NBC News anchor born in Webster)

• Mary Hart (co-anchor of Entertainment Tonight born in Madison)

• Adam Viniateri (Super Bowl winning placekicker born in Yankton)

• Gary Owens (radio disc jockey born in Mitchell)

• January Jones (actress born in Hecla)

• Laura Ingalls Wilder (author who lived in De Smet)

• Al Neuharth (founder of the USA Today born in Eureka)

• Shawn Colvin (singer/songwriter born in Vermillion)

• Hubert Humphrey (former vice president born in Wallace)

• Tom Daschle (former House Majority Leader born in Aberdeen)

• George McGovern (former senator born in Avon)

• Terry Francona (former MLB manager born in Aberdeen)

• Billy Mills (Olympic gold medal winner born in Pine Ridge)

The official state symbols of South Dakota are:

• Ring-necked pheasant (bird)

• American pasque (flower)

• Black Hills spruce (tree)

• Mount Rushmore State (nickname)

• “Under God, the people rule.” (motto)

• “Great faces. Great places.” (slogan)

• Rose quartz (mineral)

• Honey bee (insect)

• Coyote (animal)

• Walleye (fish)

• Fairburn agate (gemstone)

• “Hail, South Dakota!” (song)

• Triceratops (fossil)

• Western wheat (grass)

• Houdek loam (soil)

• Milk (beverage)

• Rodeo (sport)

• Kuchen (dessert)

• Fry (bread)

• Black Hills gold (jewelry)